Centrifically armed grenade



Jap. 19, 1937. 1 1|- ADAMS 2,067,999

CENTRIFICALLY ARMED GRENADE -Filed Oct. 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4. 37 .39 Im S ATTORNEYS Jan. 19, 1937. J. H. ADAMS 2,067,999

CENTRIFICALLY ARMED GRENADE Filed Oct. 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 30 dohnyfi. ldclm awr@ ATTORNEYS l Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATET CENTRIFICALLY ARBIED GRENADE Claims.

My present invention relates to the art of explosive bombs,' especially .of a type which are intended for hand throwing and are usually referred to as hand grenades. More -particularly 5 my invention relates to a centrically armed grenade.

The small bombs, or hand grenades as they are generally referred to, are probably one of the oldest forms in which explosives have been harnessed in war munitions. They normally consist of a chilled iron, or hardened steel housing, which is usually scored to make more certain its fracture into a large number of pieces, and the cavity contained therein is filled with a suitable high explosive. Ignition, or detonation, is accomplished by some form of percussion cap, or primer. Many types of primers that have been previously conceived may be used. The method of arming the usual hand grenade has normally een that of pulling a pin; this withdrawing of the pin starts a fuse burning which will, in turn, ignite the primer. Other forms of grenades have further safety means in a compression member which is normally held by the hand until the grenade is thrown, after which the fuse or powder train starts to burn. Grenades of this type have been long considered very dangerous and have accounted for a great many casualties among the troops using the same. There are many reasons for this; one being that the grenade thrower usually does not choose to wait very long after the train has started to burn before he throws it and it has been, in the past, quite often possible for the enemy toy throw the grenade back. Then, too, many times the grenade as it is being thrown from the trench strikes some object and returns to the thrower; or, in moving his hand backwards, as in casting the grenade, the throwers hand may strike an obstruction of some kind, the grenade being dropped and, before it can be recovered, it detonates and causes casualties among the friendly troops.

With my present construction I believe I have overcome all these objections to the usual type of hand grenade in that this grenade can be considered as absolutely safe as long as the retaining pin is in place. This, of course, is true of practically all grenades. After the pin has been pulled, however, the grenade is still safe in case it is dropped or knocked from the throwers hand unless he casts it in a manner to cause a rotative movement between a 'rotatable outer band land the grenade itself, which act arms the grenade.

The principal object of my present invention is,

therefore, to provide a hand grenade which is absolutely safe for the friendly troops using the same until it has been launched with intent, and properly launched.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a perspective view of a hand-grenade made after the teachings of my present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates one manner in which the grenade may be thrown.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through my grenade showing the same `iust at the instant of arming.

Figure 4 is a top plan view, partly in section, showing my grenade in its safe and carrying position.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal, sectional view, in elevation, showing my grenade in its safe and carrying position.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view, similar to Figure 3, but showing my grenade in its safe and carrying position.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, 8 designates the shell, or housing, of my grenade. This should be made after common practice and may be made of metal and in a manner which has proved most satisfactory in use, Several different forms of construction are possible, such as using chilled iron or hardened steel, or in any of the well known manners in which a highly fractive shell may be produced. Normally, fracture is assisted by a plurality of encircling grooves I0 and longitudinal grooves I2. A lling plug I4 is usually found convenient as a means for filling cavity l5 with a suitable high explosive. Extending within cavity l5 so that it will be well within the mass of the explosive is a suitable type of detonating cap, or primer, i6. This is secured and formed as part of a powder train, or fuse, arrangement i8. This should be of the type which will require a short interval for burning. The exact time of burning is a ma*- ter which is dependent upon the use and size of the bomb, in other words it should be of a length to insure that the bomb will have time to reach its destination before exploding, but will have very little additional time, if any. Secured at the upper end of fuse i8 is a suitable type of percussion cap 2l).

The percussion cap 20 is preferably mounted in an open-faced housing 22, which forms a protective housing and mounting means for the spring-urged hammer mechanism. This consists, essentially, of the pi-voted striker 24 having a point at 25 so mounted as to engage and fire the percussion cap 20. Striker 24 is mounted for partial revolution about pivot pin 26 and is spring-urged, as by spring 28, so as to deliver a sharp blow to percussion cap and cause its firing, thus starting the burning of the powder train, or fuse, i3.

To provide Va centrifical arming means, or a means which more properly might be said to be armed by a slight rotation of the outer shell 3U with respect to housing, or shell, 8, I provide thex encircling band 30 made after the showing 'of the various views, preferably from sheet metal so that it will encircle the grenade and be located by a groove as 32, extending about the central body of shell 8. This band should be of a wavy form, somewhat as illustrated, and be provided with an enlarged portion as 34 so that arming, or firing, can take place under suitable conditions. Within the enlargement 34 I provide a downwardly extending safety lug 35. This is xedly secured to band 3i) and is so positioned as to prevent striker 2d being revolved by spring v28 so asto re cap 2), until the same has been displaced by a partial rotary movement of band 3d with respect to shell 8; to provide against band l being revolved too far, and thus preventing the free working of striker 25, I provide extensions of enlargement 3Q, along the major axis of the grenade as is indicated at 36 and I further provide that groove 32 will be widened at 39 to provide a limited movement of band 3B and denite stops therefor.

To provide an additional safety which all such devices should be provided with, I use the usual retaining pin 3l which may conveniently be provided with .a ring 38. Pin 37 is arranged to pass through openings 4D and di in the extensions li of band Si), and to pass through openingst and lll in housing 22. When so placed it will be apparent it is believed that the entire device is locked in an inoperative position, making it doubly safe. As an added safety precaution the end of pin 3l' may be split as at it and the ends set apart somewhat so that a decided effort will be required to remove pin 3l'.

Method of operation In using my grenade the rst operation is, necessarily, thatlof removing pin Sl. This is usually accomplished by having the grenade secured to the throwers belt by ring 33 and the grenade then pulled downwardly or outwardly off pin 31 leaving the same secured to the belt. The grenade is now in position so that it can be thrown but it is still safe against iring due to accidental dropping or in case the thrower is struck or disabled. Now, the act of firing my grenade requires a determined and deliberate method of throwing it. This can be clone by grasping the grenade after the showing of Figure 2 and throwing it as a baseball is thrown. The indulations of band 30 assist the thrower in giving the grenade a rotary action and this rotation is normally sufficient to remove locking bar far enough to either side, as viewed in Figure 6, or 3, so that the striker 2li will be released and will be able to strike percussion cap S under urging of spring 28 with sufficient force to re the cap and start the fuse i8 burning. When the fuse element i8 has burned until the detonator le is reached, the entire explosive charge is detonated and the grenade shattered thus producing its full destructive eifect.

It has been found, however, that the most satisfactory way in which this grenade can be launched is by the use of the sling, referring to that type of sling having a receiving pad, or pocket, and two flexible vcord members. It may be thrown with any suitable delivery manner used with such a type of sling and it has been found that invariably the band 3! will be moved sufficiently to varm the bomb. Suitable experiment has shown, however, that the form of throwing as used by the Belaric slingers is the most eifective. It gives the greatest possible accuracy and assures positive arming of the grenade.

It has been found that the sling oftentimes will rip the band Sli oif the grenade entirely; usually, however, band Si) is arrested by its extension 35 engaging the ends of widened portion 39 of groove E2, but in either case striker 2d will have ample opportunity to re the percussion cap 2U.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

I claim:-

l. The combination with an explosive missile having a casing, of a spring-actuated detonator mounted on said casing and retaining means therefor, an annular band revolvably mounted on said casing, and means within said band for releasing said retaining means.

2. In a hand grenade the combination with a casing, of a spring-actuated detonator and retaining means therefor, an annular band mounted on the casing and relatively movable thereabout and having nger grips thereon to impart a spinning motion, and means on said band for releasing said retaining means when said band is moved relatively about said casing.

3. In a hand grenade the combination with a casing, of an annular band mounted on and relatively movable about said casing, a detonator on said casing and retaining means therefor, and means on said band for releasing said retaining means when the band is moved relatively about said casing.

a. In a hand grenade the combination with a casing, of an annular band mounted on and relatively movable about said casing, a detonator on the casing including a fuse, retaining means for said detonator, and means on said band for releasing said retaining means when the band is moved relatively about said casing.

5. In a hand grenade the combination with a casing, of an annular band mounted on and relatively movable about said casing, a detonator on the casing, and a lug on the band retaining said detonator in inoperative position until said band is moved relatively about said casing.

JOHN H. ADAMS. 

